Your plans are always amazing, @amylou321. I have no plans at all. My kitchen is under construction and workers will be here the day before and the day after Thanksgiving. I could join friends, but I think I will just enjoy the peace and quiet of the house with no active construction noises.

Reading your plans , Amylou, feels homey and comforting, because it's so you. :)

For me, it's also homey and comforting. We're going to the Thanksgiving cousin, as usual, and I'm bringing the guacamole, as usual, with chips and crudité. I'm thinking of making a spiced carrot dip I have a recipe for and want to try, as well. I offered pies, and was turned down because the elder who used to make pies likes to buy and bring them. Good reason, fine. But I told the cousin about the low sugar, chocolate crusted, pumpkin chunk and pumpkin custard pie with the chocolate chips and caramel drizzle and she said bring it! So I got extra pumpkins. I think they'll be fine for a couple of weeks. I think the battle of the three sweet potato casseroles is off this year. Otherwise, everything is the same. Sameness is the watchword for our thanksgiving. :)

You always seem to achieve so much amylou, with work plus cooking for others. Hope you get to have this year without going in to work.

Although Thanksgiving is not traditional where I come from, I do like to cook along with you all. Also it is another excuse to have turkey, which I love but only seem to have it at Christmas other than now.

This year I plan to have just a turkey breast with a dish of scalloped sweet potatoes and a dish of braised bok choy with green beans and mushrooms… sort of a stir fry. I guess cranberry sauce is a must with the turkey as well as gravy. No stuffing/dressing but a fresh bread roll.

I Googled and Yes Pumpkin Pecan pie is a ‘thing’ so I’m doing that this year for dessert. There will only be 5 of us which is enough for me to deal with. Hope it works out alright.

Thanks for the reminder. I send out our menu and see who volunteers to make what. We will have a full house. It's all must have's some ole same ole for us. Grilled/smoked turkey--spatchcocked this year. Pecan and Pear/Apple pies. Stuffing made in a turkey last week so it's true stuffing. Mashed potato casserole, two kinds of cranberries, we struggle with a green vegi. We've never been green bean casserole people. I think we are going with roasted brussel sprouts. That meal is easy--I will have a full house for four days with my brother coming and going the day before and after on his way to family. There are a lot of meals to create. We head into the City to see my daughter perform in "A Christmas Carol" at a community theatre Friday and are meeting up with my son's in laws the next day for a lunch. It will be a carzy roller coaster of a week-end!!

We are having our Thanksgiving dinner catered. Sounds a lot fancier than it actually is........;-))

My family is too extended to make a proper family TD celebration practical so we tend to gather by local groups. My local 'bubble' this year consists of two old ladies (my sister and I) and a niece struggling with metastasized breast cancer and her two teenage sons. And I just moved house and still unpacking all my kitchen bits and pieces. None of us wanted to cook or were really in a position to do so.

My sister's condo community has a commercial kitchen that is rented out to a catering company. In return, he caters a monthly meal for any of the condo residents that want it - you just need to put your order in in advance. This month it is Thanksgiving dinner. This guy is really good and the food is excellent.......my sis and I ordered one of his condo dinners earlier this summer and it was superb! As good as any local fine dining restaurant and as reasonably priced.

I don't remember all the specifics of the menu but it covers appetizers to dessert and is what I'd describe as "upscale traditional". And the meals are generously sized so there will be leftovers to take home. Yea!!

If I can find everything I need - not easy getting used to a very small new kitchen - I need to do some baking. My niece's younger son and his buddy were the muscles of my recent move and I promised them baked goods. And he's coming over this week to set up my internet and cable stuff, which I am incompetent at, so plenty of baked goods required!!

I grew up goign to the Officers Club for holiday meals. A gift from dad to mom no doubt. We had no extended family to celebrate with so this is how we made it special I suppose. I think your catered meal sounds like a dream gardengal!!

amylou321 cooking for your sister is so much the Giving in thanksgiving. Very sweet of you.

I am doing the usual turkey menu for 5 or 6 of us. Small family. At present #5 is mad at #6 and may not come. Why can't my kids get along? SIL and his brother are a joy to see eat, they really appreciate my efforts. And SIL's brother always brings a turkey given from work for me to cook for him the next day. He is so sweet, he is autistic and was so shy about asking me years ago to roast his turkey for him. But he has manners and always brings me a hostess gift of a stuffed animal, or pot holders etc. Grandson is two this year and will be fun to see what he eats. I am thankful for the gathering even if my two are being pissy.

My house has had rotating guests, and I plan to do nothing. However, since my baby moved out in September, promising to come back in a "couple of months" to get the remainder of their things... and that hasn't happened, I offered to pay for the gas if they'd come this weekend. Their significant other brought them and they arrived at 2:38AM. Yesterday, I got a duck ready, and all it has to do is roast for an hour-ish. Sometime within that timeframe, I'll pop in the carrots that are seasoned with chili, cumin, and paprika. I'll also heat up the make ahead mashed potatoes. There's a caramel pumpkin pie with a pepita and almond crust. I only get today, and last time they were here, we spent too little time together. So no messing up the kitchen today!

That's as close as I'll get to a Thanksgiving celebration, and I'm happy this is how it turned out. I come from a big family and it gets overwhelming when everyone gets together. I assume there will be many gatherings next month. There are four birthdays along with Christmas. So quiet is the way to go for this one.

Dinner at my house. Cooking the bird, stuffing, potatoes, and one dessert; guests are bringing the rest. Thanksgiving is pretty easy -- I do the baking and prep everything I can the day before (make-ahead gravy was a game-changer for me) so the morning of it's pretty easy to make the stuffing and pop the bird in the oven. Boom! It's done and I'm free to tidy up, finish setting the table, and peel and boil the potatoes in plenty of time before guests arrive.

My big concern is forgetting to take the turkey out of the freezer over the weekend -- he's a big boy and needs a good 5-6 days to thoroughly thaw.

Amylou -- Why should you have to fill in if the Company Baby flakes out? Say no.

We don't have extended family holidays anymore. For 2 or 3 years prior to Covid in 2020 we had established a tradition of taking a single (divorced) friend of ours to The Old Yarmouth Inn for Thanksgiving. We always ordered the Cape Cod Bay scallops! We put that on hold for a few years. Last year she had a hip replacement the week before the holiday, so we took a traditional meal to her that we cooked ourselves, even though she's a pescatarian. That was the first turkey we had cooked in a long time. We looked into going out again this year but our usual place was booked by the time we tried to make reservations, and another restaurant closer to us was only offering a buffet and at $85/person before cocktails and wine we decided to cook at home and invite our friend to join us.

Instead of turkey and all of the fixings just for 3 people, we are making Cioppino and will have a fresh baguette with that. Appetizers will be a smoked bluefish pate with wasabi rice crackers, endive leaves stuffed with gorgonzola, dried cranberries and glazed pecans, and marinated olives. I'm trying a new recipe for pumpkin cheesecake bars using Biscoff cookie crumbs in the crust - it's made in a 9"x9" pan, so manageable for 3 of us with a few leftovers.

Unlikely that the fish/shellfish for the Cioppino will cost anywhere near the price of a turkey dinner buffet for 3. We might buy a turkey breast on sale after the holiday to get our turkey fix (actually, for me, the oyster stuffing!).

Right now I got an invite to an old friend's in Virginia. I just don't know if it's going to happen because workers are coming that Monday to fix drywall and paint. Not sure they will get done in two days. Also, told her I wasn't going to drive there if it snowed.

Just the 2 of us. No mashed potatoes and gravy. No stuffing. No pumpkin pie. Over the years we've created our own tradition. The turkey breast is dry brined and roasted with a herb butter. Sides are Bobby Flay's Scalloped Chipotle Sweet Potatoes, Spinach Madeleine (think creamed spinach with the addition of Fontina cheese and serrano peppers), and Cranberry Jezebel (made with horseradish and Dijon mustard).

I've always thought mac and cheese for Thanksgiving dinner would be a nice addition, but alas, it hasn't happened yet. We are getting together with my family (28 people and lots of traditional food plus we always throw some fun new recipes in there) the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and with my mother-in-law, and adult step-son, and a friend (5 people) on Thanksgiving Day for another traditional meal. I always take dessert to both (apple pie bars with caramel sauce) and sometimes a salad to the second one so I have something fresh and green. The first meal, only two of our group are not politically aligned, while the second meal, we are all politically aligned. That helps! Both my husband's and my father died last year, both after having the big C, so it's still sort of weird that they aren't there for the holidays.

Well, now that we have the 3 grandkids (didn't expect any!), We travel to them! Were hoping for crab, but the humpbacks are a bit late this year! Probably turkey or ????????

This year we have decided to scale back so that no one is overworked. Some of us are quite a lot older and some of us just having babies and one getting a lot heavier so all of those conditions makes it harder to find time/harder to cook. So instead of a turkey (which I will sorely miss, but will have a very small Butterball breast all by myself later with all the fixings and trimmings), we are having a ham, mashed potatoes, a cruciferous casserole, dressing, hot rolls, and brownies for dessert.

Just had to come back and edit this. The menu above is just not the traditional Thanksgiving we have always had and I am going to truly miss it. But that is what they all decided, including that I will make the dressing; that's all they want me to do. I have to say I do make very good dressing, IMO.

Can't believe no one is making pumpkin pie. I am not a real fan, but have a small slice every years. But there are at least 3 who are true, true fans of it.

Well, kiddo has already gone. It felt so much like Thanksgiving, when I woke this morning, I considered putting up a Christmas tree?! I'm a traditionalist, and cannot do it earlier than Friday after Thanksgiving, and it's too hot. Doesn't feel right. So I'll wait a week and half and enjoy the autumn decorations for now. Try to soak it up. Might miss my baby less? I hope.

For now, I'll nosh on duck, mashed potato, and pie remnants. Hope they enjoy the turkey and ham (and chicken taquitos) I sent with them.

Today we purchased a 26.5lb turkey! Love the BIG ones with tons of stuffing and gravy! Lots of left overs...and lots of cooking free nights....yay! We love turkey! The turkey was a bit of a hassle...on sale for .97lb...but only up to 25lbs, so it rang up $14 over the sale price. Customer service guy and I had a chat. 🙄 Why's everything so difficult....

Now I want to bake a pumpkin pie without using Crisco in the crust. Anyone have a recipe using corn oil....maybe...? Or butter?

I usually use Rhome410's FP butter crust: https://rhome410.blogspot.com/2011/02/pie-crust.html

For no FP, I like Stella Parks's pinch the butter crust: https://www.seriouseats.com/old-fashioned-flaky-pie-dough-recipe

Liquid oil isn't great for a pie crust, but you can use solid vegetable shortening. I don't like the flavor, though, and you don't want to use it. You can also use 100 Calorie per TBSP baking sticks (margarine). The issue is the different fats have different sized fat globules and steam (create flakey) at different rates. I think all butter is best. Others have other preferences. Some add a spoon of white vinegar or vodka. Oh, I should mention that I use American butter with 82% fat content. The amount of water in the fat really makes a difference in the flakiness.

@plllog....Thank you! ALL butter sounds perfect! I do like vinegar in my crust too...

Nicole, I make pie crust with butter, and use a food processor. I think I got the recipe years ago from Martha Stewart. However, seems like an eon since I made a pie.

No plans here. Just another day. That is not a bad thing. I have so much to do. The only thing I miss about Thanksgiving is the cornbread dressing like my mother used to make. I can make it too, and may do that before too long.

I make my pie crust with half butter half crisco. Lard was the go to back in the day but that was before my time!! Put in a tablespoon or so of white sugar when the Mixer's whisk is cutting the fat into the flour. It's better than any recipe with vinegar.

nicole___ , here is a great recipe for your pumpkin pie crust - it is the easiest I have ever made and is from Cooking With Gourmet Grains by the Orowheat Bakery.

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese, large or small curd
• 1 cup flour

Beat the butter and cottage cheese together with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Form into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour, or up to two or more days. There is no added salt in this recipe because the cottage cheese is salty.

If you bake this crust before you add filling, you will need to make sure that you prick it well, cover it with foil, and fill the pie pan completely with pie weights. I use decorative gravel that I have washed very well.

I made this recipe at the restaurant where I worked in San Francisco in the mid 1970s, and I made 27 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. I filled the crusts before baking because the recipe I used called for baking the pies, but I have another recipe for stovetop pumpkin filling that goes into a baked crust and is chilled. I never made that version at the restaurant, as it would have been much more work.

I always add some freshly grated ginger to my pumpkin pie filling.

Since I cook extensively almost every day, I take a break on Thanksgiving, and we go to a restaurant. We will be in Cathedral City and will go to one of our favorite restaurants in Palm Springs. If we do not do that, we might make pizza. If I have enough apples, I will make a Torta di Mele.

Well, change in plans. My son is free next week and so trying to work out my daughter's work schedule and us driving up to see him. I thought he was going to be too busy as he's getting ready to deploy. Told my friend and she understands as her son is also in the military and deployed.

My son and DIL are coming over for breakfast on TG morning and then going over to DIL's brother's house for turkey dinner in the afternoon. I'll probably make biscuits and gravy with hashbrowns.

I think I am going to pick up a ~10-12 lb turkey to cook on TG and then make a triple batch of pot pie filling on Friday or Saturday.

I'm not keen on most Thanksgiving leftovers, but I could get behind turkey pot pie! In fact, Lone Jack, you've inspired me. I found some turkey cutlets in my freezer the other day. I have no idea where they came from. Probably some get together that got cancelled before they were cooked. They don't look freezer burnt, but even if they are, a little, the gravy would mask it, and I'd steam poach them first, anyway. What a plan! Thanks for the notion!. .

Well, just finalized what I will be making for others. My sister requested dressing, mac and cheese, spinach artichoke dip, sausage stuffed bread, olive bread and stuffed mushrooms. That is a bit more than I was anticipating making for HER but its fine, as I will simply snitch some dressing and mac and cheese that I make for her for my own feast, lessening the workload for Thursday. I am told that my BIL requested the mushrooms, her friend who will be dining with them requested the spinach dip and the recipe to go with it, one of my oldest nephews wanted MY dressing, my niece wanted MY mac and cheese, and the olive bread and sausage stuffed bread are two of my sisters favorite foods in the world, so how could I refuse any of the requests?!?!? ( I WAS tempted to give the recipe for the spinach dip to the friend and ask HER to make it, but that would be RUDE and so I did not) I will make all her stuff and deliver on Wednesday night, as I work the night before and will need a nap before I shop and cook for her.

Still no idea what to do about dessert. I feel like desserts kind of go to waste at my house because there are only 2 of us , but what kind of holiday doesn't have dessert? I love pumpkin pie but SO does not. I mean, I can certainly eat a whole one but probably shouldn't. And he likes pecan pie but I do not, and he will not eat a whole one, so maybe I will just skip the whole idea of dessert this year. Or I might go by that place that sells tiny little individual Bundt cakes. He likes the caramel one, me the chocolate.

Also, no verdict on the veggie for my own feast. Not stressed about it though. I refuse to stress over green things on holidays. Something will work out.

Tomorrow I'm making my blueberry apple pie for home (not T'Day). Now that I have my fancy dancy Chinese apple peeler that's similar to the one posted in CF last year, I don't have to make time to make apple pie. I made the crust discs yesterday (whole wheat with cinnamon, of course) and will peel in no time with fancy dancy Chinese apple peeler and slice the apples and macerate in the fridge overnight. Then just roll out, fill, dump a little box of blueberries on top, cover and bake. Do you both like blueberries and apples?

Congratulations on eschewing the RUDE, and embracing all your sisters' requests. The amount of love you cook with oozes through all the spaces between the words.

Today, I'm making pumpkin, beef, chicken sausage stew. Not really T'Day, but very Fallish. :)

Reading about these mammoth efforts in the kitchen I'm rather glad I don't have to produce a second massive blow out meal just a month before Christmas! Good luck to all the hard-working US cooks.

floral :) You know us, anything for a good meal.

I changed my mind and decided I was going to see all my family (see earlier, looking for quiet). Nephew was to come from Canada. Not happening. So I will show up late, and leave early, likely. The way this family member does their Thanksgiving, people eat when they get there and chat as long as they want. Which is ok! Not a sit at the table thing. Mine is always we mingle first, then sit together and linger at the table. This is not that. I think I can get away with a drop-in. Nephew is supposed to come for Christmas (it is green card issues that have almost worked their way through, so it should happen), and I bet they do make it. That one, will be the big deal that I host.

It is inspirational to learn about everyone's plans for the holiday. I am having a whopping 17 to dinner including my husband and me, an all time high number for me. I plan to serve buffet from the island in the kitchen and figured that everyone will have a seat at two tables- one in the dining room and the other in the kitchen. I'll do the appetizers, turkey, stuffing, and provide dessert- just ice cream. I will also have stuffed shells and or baked rice to accommodate those with food allergies and Celiac disease. My daughters are contributing some dishes also. I have put off preparing ahead, except for the base for the gravy, because several of my teen grands are coming on Wednesday morning to cook with me and dress the tables. Looking forward to it and love and appreciate that my grandkids like to cook and spend time with me.

Looks like all plans have changed! Daughter and her wife both work TG (cop and nurse), so we've changed it to Saturday at our house (less people to travel). Thankfully the house cleaner came on Monday forcing us to tidy up a bit!

Since we can't have crab, we've decided in Mexican. Hubby and I still have tomatoes and tomatillas, so we'll be making pork and chicken enchiladas with red and green sauce, others will bring taco makings, salad, rice, beans. I'll make a cherry pie, and maybe a peach pie.

I'm guessing xmas will either be crab or traditional

We'll have a simple dinner with The Kid and her family at our house unless SIL isn't up to the ride. He found out he's celiac in addition to the Crohn's and just got out of the hospital, but he says he feels better than he has in years, so we have a lot t be thankful for. I'll do a small turkey, potatoes/gravy, sweet potatoes, corn pudding, cranberry chutney. Maybe pull some some green beans or something pickled out of the pantry. They'll bring GF rolls and dessert and I made a small dish of dressing for DH and me. Not sure I'm willing to tackle gluten free stuffing.

Happy Thanksgiving, all

Stuffed mushrooms

Olive Bread

Spinach dip

Mac and cheese

Dressing

Filling for the sausage stuffed bread

Made all of the above yesterday and delivered today. So glad that mamas boy decided to work his shift. I also got roped into peeling potatoes and helping to anchor down some Christmas inflatables when I delivered the goods to sisters house. All of my meal is in the oven. Except for the pot of collards simmering on the stove. I don't remember the last time a holiday went this smoothly. Great day so far.

George can't take all of the excitement.

LOL on first glance I thought George was a dry brined turkey.

All great looking food prep amylou and I am so pleased for you that bratty boy worked his shift.

Oh man, it all looks delicious. At first I was concerned, then I saw the pink bowl for the stuffing and the pink pan holding spinach dip and all was right with the world. It's amylou, it's gotta have something pink.

I think George has taken the correct measures, LOL. He looks a lot like my 25 pound cat, Spark. Orange cats gotta do orange cat things, you know.

My Thanksgiving won't be until next Saturday, that's when Ashley has the girls and Makayla can come home for dinner and all other family obligations are fullfilled by all. Elery and I joined the neighbors at the B&B for dinner, the chef there did the cooking and I provided some of the "raw" ingredients. Well brined free range Amish turkey, nearly 30 pounds, some apple/cranberry stuffing, green bean casserole with no C of M soup, just some nicely seasoned white sauce and crunchy pan fried shallots, mashed potatoes from our Kennebecs in storage, gravy, fresh cranberry relish and dinner rolls, dessert was a really nicely spiced apple cake with cream cheese frosting. A couple of cups of coffee, chatting with friends and rooting for the Detroit Lions (who, true to tradition, lost), made a lovely day. Having lost my mother and my brother within the last year it was actually good to have something completely different.

I'll start my cooking about Wednesday...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Annie